For inner-city kids, community garden offers a chance to connect with nature

The Nature Works Everywhere program kicks off in Curtis Bay giving kids from urban schools a hands-on experience learning about the environment.

Content provided by CSX

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For most of the students who live in Curtis Bay, gardening is a foreign experience. In fact, these Baltimore-area kids so rarely get to leave their own small urban community that many of them aren't used to being in nature. Nature Works Everywhere is an educational program developed by The Nature Conservancy that gives the kids a chance to learn about the environment by building and working in a local garden.

In this video, Angela Brisson of The Nature Conservancy talks about how a simple day of gardening can make a difference in the lives of kids from Curtis Bay Elementary School.

"Kids are spending less and less time outdoors," says Brisson. "The hope of this program is that we're actually engaging them, getting them outside and showing them that nature is important for them and for their everyday lives."

With the support of CSX Transportation, The Nature Conservancy is bringing together kids throughout the school year to build 12 gardens in the Baltimore area as part of a broader project that aims to help students learn the science behind how nature works, and what we can do to make nature healthier.

Not only does this educational workday immerse city kids in nature and provide them with some valuable new experiences, it benefits the community, too, encouraging neighbors to come together for a common goal.

"Support from organizations like The Nature Conservancy has been the bread and butter of the work here," says Jason Reed, manager of the Filbert Street Garden. "This day would not have happened without The Nature Conservancy."